KosherEye.com
by Chef Laura Frankel, Executive Chef for Spertus Kosher Catering and author of Jewish Cooking For All Seasons and Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes
This homemade spread is better than Nutella because it is non-hydrogenated and made with high quality chocolate. Do not skimp on the chocolate and your spread will be an addicting schmear for everything from toast to apple slices. I tried this delicious spread in my Hamantaschen and found a new out of this world Purim treat.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
1 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
Filling:
1 2/3 cup hazelnuts
1 3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup powdered whole milk
3 tablespoons honey
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped (I use Callebaut)
5 ounces milk chocolate, chopped (I use Callebaut)
Pinch of sea salt
Directions:
To make the filling:
Spread the nuts on a baking sheet, keeping the almond separate, and toast the nuts in a 350ºF oven, stirring a few times, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the hazelnuts are browned.
While they are roasting, warm the whole milk and powdered milk in a small saucepan with the honey and salt just until it starts to boil. Remove from heat.
In a clean, dry bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, or in a microwave oven, melt the chocolates together until smooth.
Once the nuts are well-toasted, remove them from oven and use a spatula to place the warm hazelnuts in a clean tea towel, then fold them inside the towel and rub them vigorously to remove any loose skins. They don’t need to be pristine; just try to get as much off as possible.
In a food processor, grind the warm hazelnuts and almonds until they’re as fine as possible. You may not be able to get them completely smooth, depending on your food processor
Add the melted chocolate and continue to process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the work bowl, as necessary.
Once the mixture is smooth, add the warm milk mixture, sea salt and process until everything is well-combined. Store covered in the refrigerator
To make the Hamantaschen:
Cream butter and sugar together in a mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the orange zest, orange juice and vanilla extract to the mixture.
With the machine running on low add the eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine-be careful not to over mix or the dough will be tough.
Roll the dough on a floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Dip a round cookie cutter into flour and cut circles in the dough. Fill the dough with ½ teaspoon of filling and pinch the edges together to form a triangle. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.
Transfer the Hamantaschen to a cooling rack.
Recipes: Desserts, Purim, Hamantaschen, Dairy, Kosher